Black boots trampled upon the white ash. Lee Sa-young stood on the beach, which had even lost its fishy smell. He reached for the shed doorknob but paused. The door was slightly ajar.
It should have been locked tightly.
He opened the door carefully. With a creaking sound, the scene inside the shed was revealed. The Big Mouth was chained and lying limp. Lee Sa-young reached out to the monster's neck. The moment his hand touched it, the monster crumbled into white ash and scattered across the floor.
"…"
Lee Sa-young frowned. He hadn't heard anything about monsters disappearing if time were turned back. Even as he racked his brain, he had no such memory.
Then, was it someone else's work?
But who?
All the people in this world were dead.
Rustle, there was a sound at the door. As he turned his head, Hong Ye-seong waved his hand in greeting.
"Hi."
"…You came just in time."
Snap, snap, strength surged into his fingertips. Lee Sa-young twisted the corners of his mouth.
"As if you knew this would happen."
"Well, that's something that never happened in this world. You getting inside Big Mouth."
"Is this your doing?"
"I didn't touch it. It disappeared on its own."
He walked over with a swaggering gait and stood beside Lee Sa-young. Then he stared at the white ash.
"Give up. Even if you force yourself in, there will be nothing."
"There might be."
"I told you, right? This is a world created based on memories. We don't know what's in Big Mouth's stomach. There's no way it could be manifested here."
Lee Sa-young bent down and touched the white ash with his fingertips. A white mark remained on his black fingertips. Lee Sa-young recalled Mackerel that had collapsed alongside the fallen people. He rubbed his thumb and index finger together to brush off the ash and spoke.
"Cha Eui-jae… Hyung was able to change something that didn't happen. Just like saving Mackerel."
"That's right."
"Why does it work for Hyung and not me?"
"Because you wished for it."
Hong Ye-seong responded lightly. Suddenly, the Artisan's face became blurred, like a camera out of focus. The more he looked at it, the more his impression changed. It was sharp, then fierce, then mild, then clear. Like when you try to recall a face you don't remember.
"You want to grant whatever Cha Eui-jae wants."
A low voice rang out.
"It reflects your wishes. This world was created based on your memories."
"Then, why…."
Lee Sa-young trailed off. If this was a world reflecting Lee Sa-young's wish, then why did Cha Eui-jae die? He had never once wished for him to die. Hong Ye-seong shrugged his shoulders, as if he had realized what he was about to ask.
"Cha Eui-jae wanted to live, but his desire to die was greater than that. He chose death over becoming a grotesque monster. That was Cha Eui-jae's wish."
"…"
"…Thanks to you, I know the answer too. Finally."
The hazy face became jumbled and mixed up, then gradually transformed into a familiar one. Tangled black hair, pale lilac eyes, and a gloomy face. 'Lee Sa-young' swept his hair back. Lee Sa-young frowned.
"You… weren't you inside me?"
'That's why I came out here. Because this place is where your wishes and my memories merged.'
"…Since when have you been that guy?"
'Don't worry, the Hong Ye-seong you met last time was real.'
Lee Sa-young completely turned his body to face the uninvited guest. It felt strange, like he was looking in a mirror. The uninvited guest let out a small laugh.
'There is nothing to be cautious about. My wish has come true.'
"…Finding out why Cha Eui-jae died?"
'Yes.'
'Lee Sa-young' gestured as if to follow. He left the shed and started walking along the beach. Lee Sa-young followed behind without a word. The beach, a mix of sand and white ash, was both soft and rough.
The man walking ahead muttered quietly.
'He chose death. Because he was afraid of becoming a monster.'
"…"
'…How foolish. It doesn't matter whether or not he turned into a monster.'
Listening to the lonely whisper yet tinged with relief, Lee Sa-young brushed away the hair that was blocking his vision.
Even if Cha Eui-jae were to become a monster, Lee Sa-young would not kill him. Instead, he would leave with him to a very distant place. Anywhere would do, as long as it was a place untouched by human footsteps. After all, Hyung was afraid of attacking people. Buying an island would be a good idea…
Just the two of them.
He was confident he could take responsibility for the rest of his life. If that person was Hyung, if it was Cha Eui-jae.
However, Cha Eui-jae chose death. Even while fearing it, he decided that it was better for him to die. It was a decision befitting a person with a strong sense of responsibility. He probably never imagined that there would be a future where the two of them would be together. Lee Sa-young muttered.
"Because that person is an idiot."
'That's right.'
'Lee Sa-young' nodded in agreement. He probably had similar imaginations. Strangely, it felt as if they were connected. Disparate perspectives overlap into one.
'Lee Sa-young' stopped in the middle of the white sand beach and turned around. Lee Sa-young also stopped three steps away. Their eyes met in the air.
There was no need for long words.
Because they were both Lee Sa-young.
'Lee Sa-young' spoke first.
'You probably know.'
"Of course."
Lee Sa-young raised the corners of his mouth and smiled.
"I won't fail twice."
A strong wind raged through a world where even the flow of air had stopped. 'Lee Sa-young', who had been standing opposite, vanished as if melting into the wind. Lee Sa-young closed his eyes. Finally, it was time to go and teach that fool a lesson.
Whoever you are, whatever you are.
I will be by your side forever.
***
…At least, it should've turned out that way.
"Yes, Team Leader Jung, we have secured hunter Lee Sa-young. Yes, yes, we have contacted the Pado Guild as well…"
"If it's Jung Bin, hand over the phone. I'll speak to him myself."
"Ah, no! You need to rest…"
"I know my condition best, so shut up and hand over the phone."
"I… I'm sorry!"
The Awakened Management Bureau hunter fled in a panic, clutching the phone. Tsk, Lee Sa-young clicked his tongue in annoyance.
He was now sitting in the back of an ambulance with the doors wide open, wrapped in a blanket.
When he opened his eyes after the wind had died down, he found himself in front of the entrance to the Jongno Underground Dungeon. Just as he was thinking it was a relief he hadn't landed in a strange place, white vines slithered around him, attempting to wrap around his entire body. Then?
'Of course I have to melt them.'
The moment he melted all the vines growing around him with poison, sirens blared loudly. He heard they had assigned surveillance personnel. It was because J had strongly insisted that Lee Sa-young might return at any moment.
"…"
Immediately, an ambulance arrived, and the Awakened Management Bureau hunters who had been on surveillance poured out all sorts of questions. Whether there were any health issues, they needed to check his cognitive abilities… No matter how much he insisted he was fine, they didn't listen a word. Just as he was getting annoyed and thinking of melting the ambulance and everything else away—
"Sa-young-ah!! Oh my!!"
Bae Won-woo rushed over. He examined Lee Sa-young from head to toe, then sobbed while practically lying face down on the ground.
"Oh my, you're finally back! Are you hurt anywhere? Are your limbs still attached?"
"Stop making such a fuss…"
Lee Sa-young clicked his tongue softly and crossed his legs. It had been a long time since he'd experienced such a commotion, so he couldn't quite get used to it. Kang Ji-soo, who had followed behind, shrugged her shoulders.
"Well, the Vice-Guild Leader has been through a lot of emotional distress too, so please understand. He's in a state of mental and physical weakness right now."
"Why is his mind so weak?"
"Something happened that justified it. Vice-Guild Leader, you should report it."
"…C-can you tell him instead?"
Bae Won-woo looked up at Kang Ji-soo with teary eyes. She turned her head away with a disgusted groan. But that was only for a moment. Kang Ji-soo scratched her head and spoke.
"Um, you know, J-nim."
"Yeah. Where is he right now?"
He was puzzled that the person that was worried enough to even assign surveillance hadn't shown up. Well, he was probably somewhere dealing with monsters again. Lee Sa-young rested his chin on his hand, listening to the surrounding commotion. It seemed he had returned to a rather chaotic situation.
Kang Ji-soo rubbed the floor with the sole of her shoe, then squeezed her eyes shut and shouted.
"J-nim dived into a monster's jaws!"
"…"
Silence.
Kang Ji-soo glanced at the Guild Leader, whom she hadn't seen in a long while. Had his hair grown longer since they last met? His curly hair was obscuring his eyes, and with his hand covering his mouth, his expression was impossible to discern.
However, soon, a dark aura of murderous intent began to surge behind Lee Sa-young.
A low voice muttered.
"…Say that again."
"Uh, uh, um."
"Say it again. I think I misheard."
"…"
Purple eyes gleamed through the gaps between his black hair. She stealthily checked her inventory to make sure the gas mask item was still there.